A smoke plume erupts over Khan Yunis from Rafah in the southern Gaza strip during Israeli bombardment on January 8, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Doha, Qatar: Israel continues bombing attacks in southern and central Gaza, with reports of strikes in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Hospital. Meanwhile, a surgeon described the situation at the hospital as entirely 'unmanageable' with hundreds of new victims in need of care daily.
The occupation forces carried out 30 attacks on targets in the southern Khan Younis area. In Rafah itself a home was targeted in the eastern al-Junaynah district stated Al Jazeera. It further stated that there were massive air strikes in and around the Maghazi camp as well as in the Bureij refugee camp earlier.
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[7:24pm Doha Time] UK foreign secretary "worried" Israel may have broken international law in Gaza
David Cameron, UK Foreign Secretary, said that Israel’s war on Gaza may have breached international law.
“Am I worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law in Gaza, because this particular premises has been bombed, or whatever? Yes, of course,” Cameron, who was the former UK Prime Minister, said Tuesday.
[4pm Doha Time] Palestinian Foreign Ministry describes Occupation crimes in West Bank as fascism
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday described the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank as "fascist," "colonial," and "racist," that express unprecedented extremism that denies the Palestinian presence in its homeland.
In a statement, the ministry considered the crime of an Israeli military vehicle running over the body of a martyr in Tulkarm last night as an interpretation of the racist incitement practiced by the Israeli right wing and the extreme right wing, who treat all Palestinians as suspects that must be killed, sometimes under the slogan "human animals," and "Nazis" at other times.
People inspect the damage following an overnight Israeli raid on the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, on January 9, 2024. (Photo by Zain Jaafar / AFP)
The ministry stressed that this complex and brutal crime is not the first and will not be the last in the series of crimes of the occupation and settler militia members. The ministry underscored that this crime challenges the conscience and ethics of humanity, especially in light of the suspicious international double standards that distinguish between human beings according to the identity of the executioner and the victim.
Earlier, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 527 Palestinians were killed by occupation bullets in various villages, towns, and cities of the West Bank since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.
[1:01pm Doha Time] More than 4,000 Palestinian students killed, 384 schools destroyed
Palestinian Ministry of Education says that 4,296 students have been killed and 8,059 were injured in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since October 7.
In a statement, the ministry said that 4,257 students were killed in the Gaza Strip and 39 in the West Bank.
In Gaza, 281 government schools and 65 schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) were bombed and vandalised, resulting in 83 of the buildings being severely damaged and seven completely destroyed.
[12:35pm Doha Time] MSF shelter hit in southern Gaza
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) said that a shell hit their shelter in Khan Younis, where more than 100 employees and their families were taking shelter.
“Four people were injured, including the five-year-old daughter of one of our employee and is in critical condition,” the organisation said on its social media.
MSF said it had previously informed the Israeli forces about the shelter and had not received orders to evacuate it.
[12:05pm Doha Time] 57 bodies brought to al-Aqsa Hospital in 24 hours: Health ministry
At least 57 people killed in Israeli attacks were brought to al-Aqsa Hospital in the last 24 hours, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Another 62 wounded Palestinians were also brought to the health facility.
Al-Aqsa Hospital is the largest hospital in central Gaza, where Israeli strikes are most intense.
Earlier this week, many health workers and hundreds of patients had to evacuate the facility due to heavy Israeli bombardment in the area. Now, only a handful of doctors are left to treat emergency cases that pile in every hour.
[10am Doha Time] Palestinian injured by occupation forces fire in Ramallah
A Palestinian youth was shot and injured, and two others were arrested on Tuesday during the Israeli forces' incursion into the city of Ramallah in the West Bank.
A Palestinian was shot in the back during the Israeli incursion into Ramallah, while a Palestinian and his son were arrested from the Ain Misbah neighborhood in the city, the Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported citing medical sources.
In another incident, Israeli occupation forces raided the village of Dura al-Qara, northeast of Ramallah.
Additionally, Israeli occupation forces arrested six Palestinians in Bethlehem governorate after raiding their homes, and four others in Qalqilya. They also raided several towns, including Azzun, Kafr Qaddum, and Hableh.
Cities, towns, and refugee camps in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem witness daily campaigns of raids and incursions by Israeli forces and settlers.
[9am Doha Time] ‘Scenes I’ve never seen before’: Physician describes desperate conditions
Dr Nick Maynard, a surgeon with the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, says the situation at Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza is entirely “unmanageable” with hundreds of new victims in need of care daily.
“There were several hundred people being admitted every day,” Maynard, who left the hospital on Monday, told Al Jazeera. “There was not enough staff … and the operating theatres were full all the time.
“It was scenes I’ve never seen before in a hospital, and I’ve been a surgeon for many, many years.”
Maynard, from Oxford, was one of many health workers to evacuate the hospital earlier this week as Israeli bombardment intensified in the area.
[8am Doha Time] Italy calls for end to civilian casualties in Gaza
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani discussed in two phone calls with British counterpart, David Cameron, and French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, the developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, and the Red Sea.
The Italian Foreign Ministry stated in a statement that within the framework of the contacts of the Italian presidency of the Group of Seven countries (G7), Tajani discussed the tense situation in the Middle East and proposed to his counterparts to define common forms of pressure at the G7 level on the parties involved to achieve certain objectives.
Tajani emphasized the "absolute necessity is to immediately limit the number of Palestinian civilian victims, in addition to putting pressure on the Israeli government to conclude the military operations in the Gaza Strip.
He also stressed that Italy "intends to confirm the strong and coherent support of the G7 for Ukraine, which must continue to count on our commitment to a just and lasting peace, and also in light of the reconstruction process".
The situation in the Red Sea was also discussed during the phone calls, with Tajani stressing "the Italian governments commitment to the security of maritime lines of communication and the need to protect trade routes linking the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific region."
